Water for Growth

With some regions in an abundance of supply, Queensland is one of the few states in Australia where significant water allocations is available for sale or lease. This provides a unique advantage to food producers and processors, who have higher water requirements, to help secure water for their future business growth.

What do SunWater and Queensland offer to agribusiness?

With ample regional water allocations in areas such as Burdekin, Proserpine, Mackay, Bundaberg and Maryborough, Queensland can offer business:

Room for expansion of agribusiness and processing in established rural areas and serviced industrial estates

A strong regional workforce

Dynamic producers prepared to move into higher value or new food and energy crops

Regional State support for rural transformation to higher value/higher productivity agribusiness

Strategic transport and logistics support including ports and airports

Established supply chains

Direct access to Brisbane, regional cities in Queensland and the southern markets of Australia’s east coast

Direct access to strategic ports in the Asia-Pacific region

Support from SunWater – the State’s biggest water supplier

Support from Invest Queensland – the Queensland Government’s investment promotion agency for industry expansion or relocation to Queensland.

SunWater’s investment in the future

SunWater storages serve irrigation intensive areas such as Burdekin, Proserpine, Mackay, Bundaberg and Maryborough with storage capacity of more than three million ML. The extensive distribution network of channels and pipelines supplies agriculture, industry and urban areas and includes infrastructure as part of a portfolio of assets worth more than $7 billion, including:

19 major dams

63 weirs and barrages

84 major pumping stations

More than 2,700km of pipelines and channels

Queensland’s plans for growth

The State Government has plans for new water infrastructure to support industry growth, including the development of the Nathan Dam on the Dawson River, an 888,000 ML maximum capacity storage to serve the coal industry and urban development in the Surat and southern Bowen basins.